


Spin the Bottle

by insight



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexuality, F/M, First Kisses, M/M, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-09 22:05:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8914702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insight/pseuds/insight
Summary: Spin the bottle plot- where everyone kisses each other...except for Merlin and Arthur who are both stuck somewhere between oblivious and jealous (what idiots).





	1. Chapter 1

He doesn’t know why he lets Arthur drag him to these things. He could be home doing calculus right now but instead he's here listening to the sound of people talking who are stupid.

Sophia Sidhe spilled her drink over his shirt half an hour ago and then wandered away without even apologizing. His shirt is now damp and stinks of alcohol, and he can’t see Arthur anywhere, not even a glimpse of that stupid leather jacket he thinks makes him look cool.

Merlin groans, hating stupid best friends who suddenly go from being shorter than you and dorky TH White remarks to growth spurts (Merlin's determined to rectify that post-haste) and wearing leather jackets, but who also don't even have the decency to become assholes or be any less likely to show up after school to watch The X-Files with Merlin. He especially hates when they drag him to parties, though, and then _ditch him_.

Merlin lets out a gusty sigh and steps into the Pendragons' living room. As soon as he does he hears Arthur shout his name from across the room, _Emrys, hey, Emrys_. Merlin can tell that Arthur’s kind of wasted, slouched back on the couch with a flush high over his cheeks and his eyes shining from the alcohol. Arthur has his head tipped back, smiling, with Morgana Le Faye tucked casually close to his chest. But the very worst part is that Arthur’s waving Merlin over to a circle of people sitting around an empty beer bottle.

Merlin wants to protest but Arthur raises his eyebrows at him, the goading expression so very familiar from years past. Merlin sits down before he can even think about it and glares at Arthur, whose answering smile is unnervingly self-satisfied.

Mithian’s up first and she spins the bottle and gets Arthur. It makes Merlin feel jittery to think she’s just going to kiss Arthur but she only grins across the circle at Arthur and presses her lips lightly to his. Then it's Gwen Smith’s turn and she gets Arthur too- Merlin stares hard at the beer bottle and wonders if it's been rigged or if Arthur is actually that magnetic- and they're much more dramatic about it as she climbs into his lap and his hands land on her hips, and they _tonguefuck_. Merlin tries not to watch too closely but gives it up as a lost cause when Arthur moans. Everyone else in the circle cheers and Gwen sits back smugly, high-fiving Morgana as she goes. It’s all friendly and Merlin feels stupid for expecting it to be tense and weird, for the way he feels the warmth of arousal stirring.

'Your turn, _Mer_ lin,' Arthur says in the silence and Merlin jumps, aware that his mouth is hanging open a little bit. He looks down at the bottle and thinks about having to kiss one of the girls and whether they’d laugh or be grossed out. It occurs to him that it might be Arthur (because Arthur's _magnetic_ , Merlin thinks dizzily). He can’t look up but he’s certain that Arthur’s watching him. He has to shut his eyes for a second and then he opens them, and spins the bottle.

He gets Morgana. For a moment, Merlin doesn't know what to do, frozen at the possibilities, but when he looks at Morgana all he can see is that she is beautiful and that he wants to at least _try_ this kissing business. Morgana looks just as focussed on him as Merlin is on her- somebody wolf-whistles in the background as Morgana crawls forward, hips swaying seductively towards Merlin. Not to be outdone, Merlin reaches for her, tangles his fingers in her gorgeous hair and pulls her in, puts his mouth against hers definitively, opens his mouth to her as she opens hers to his and lets his tongue run slickly, messily against hers. Morgana is as forceful as Merlin imagined her to be, fingers hard against his jaw and not letting up any even as he rakes and pulls his fingers through her hair, growling a little- he can feel it as she smiles against his mouth, as she bites lingeringly on his bottom lip and pulls away.

Merlin leans back with his mouth still open, dazed, and Morgana laughs dispelling some of the enigmatic air that has surrounded her for as long as Merlin as known her. He blinks some more and the rest of the room comes back into focus- Leon, Percival, and Elyan are staring at him like he's suddenly the guy they have to watch out for and hide their girlfriends from. Meanwhile, Lance and Gwaine are eyeing him speculatively and darting looks to their left. To their left, where Arthur is seated.

Merlin is definitely not looking at Arthur. _No way_.

Gwaine laughs suddenly into the shocky silence, 'Wow, TMI, but that little show will nicely tide _me_ over. What d'you think, Princess?' Merlin watches his elbow jab out to his right. To his right, where Arthur is seated and where Merlin is definitely not looking.

'I think we should get on with this damn game,' Merlin hears Arthur say. Arthur's voice is relaxed and jovial and Merlin is irrationally relieved. Enough so that Merlin raises his eyes to meet Arthur's...and he realizes that however much Arthur sounds cool and collected, his gaze is saying something different as Arthur meets Merlin's eyes with an unfathomable look in his eyes. In the next moment, Merlin thinks he's imagined it as Arthur's gaze lightens the more they look at each other. Merlin really tries not to think about the fact that Arthur could never stay mad at him because, really, Merlin didn't do anything _wrong_. Merlin frowns defiantly at Arthur because, _fuck_ , Morgana's kiss had kind of blown his mind and Merlin was just playing the game just as much as Arthur was and why does Arthur have to be so confusing? Arthur smirks at Merlin as if he takes delight in fucking with him and Merlin huffs and sits back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the party...

'So, fun tonight?' Arthur says, afterwards, when they’re walking home together in the freezing night air. He sounds sobered up by the cold, leather jacket zipped tight and his head tipped back to stare up at the stars overhead. Merlin stares at the way moonlight changes his familiar eyes, shades them with a shifting elusive light, and almost walks into a lamp post, forgetting to answer the question. 

Arthur turns his head. His eyelashes are silvered, shockingly long. His mouth is. Moving. He’s- saying something, saying,

'Merlin,' and when Merlin’s eyes snap back to Arthur’s eyes he’s got that reckless victorious smile in them again.

'Hey,' he says, stepping closer, and Merlin, stupidly, says 'hey' back, takes a step back so that his back’s to the lamp post. Arthur follows him.

'So. You have fun tonight?' he asks again, softly. 

'I - yeah,' Merlin says and takes a long shaky breath at Arthur’s slow smile. Exhales. It disperses white between them, weirdly slow; the lamp post scrapes at the back of Merlin’s neck; and it doesn’t matter because he’s got his fingertips measuring the strong pulse in Arthur’s throat and Arthur’s grinning goofily at him; because Arthur’s mouth is shockingly hot, and his thumb is pressing at Merlin’s jaw, pushing his mouth a little wider open; and Merlin hears himself moan, his head tilting into the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Written because I have kind of a bigggggg thing for bisexual!Merlin just as much as I have a thing for endgame king/lionheart otp.


End file.
